Cal South E-News | November 2012 COACHING EDUCATION

November 16, 2012

Featured Lesson Plan: Attacking - Two-Player Combination Play

by Cal South

1. Dribbling Warm-Up

Organization:

• Each player has one ball in the designated area.

Activity:

• Players dribble freely in open area. They are encouraged to perform dribbling moves and display a change of pace every 3-5 touches. Coach stands with two bibs and explains that he will award bibs to players putting forth their best effort. The players with the bibs at the end of the warm-up are the winners. Every minute, the coach calls out the name of foundation moves (e.g., inside-outside, etc.) for the players to perform.

Variation:

• When a coach calls out a number, players have to arrange themselves in groups of that number. By finishing with the number two, the session flows well into the passing and moving exercise that follows.

Coaching Points:

• Focus on the technique of the players.
• Speed of footwork.
• Head up while dribbling.
• Change of pace after performing move.

2. Passing and Moving into 1 vs. 1

Organization:

• Each player needs a partner, with one ball per group.

Activity:

• Players pass and move within their groups of two. Upon the coach's command, the players go from passing and moving into 1 vs. 1 where they fight for possession of the ball. Players are encouraged to utilize their dribbling moves they worked on during the warmup to get around the defender. When the coach calls "freeze," whoever has the possession of the ball scores a point.

Variation:

• Players pass and move within their groups of two. As they pass and move, the coach calls out a two-player combination command (e.g., take over, wall pass, overlap, etc.) Players are instructed that when they hear the combination, they should attempt to perform it.

Coaching Points:

• In the modern game, players need to play effective short passes with both feet with the following surfaces: inside, outside, toe, heel, and lace. Encourage players to cycle through all of the surfaces to gain experience with each..
• Proper pace on the passes.
• Disguising of passes.
• Encourage the players to recognize that the game has a rhythm, and that part of learning to read the game involves not forcing combinations when they are not available. This exercise can be a good starting point to get players to be patient and to keep the ball moving until the moment arises.

3. 2 vs. 1 with Direction

Organization:

• Arrange the players in groups of three and assign each player in the group a number (one, two or three). Each group will need one ball.

Activity:

• Each group passes and moves in an open area until the coach calls out a number. When a number is called out, that player becomes the defender, while the remaining two players become the attackers. The two attacking players score by getting the ball to one line and then to the opposite line. If the team scores or the defender wins the ball, the group begins passing and moving again.

Variation:

• A team gets two points if they incorporate a two-person combination to score. First player to five points wins.

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here: www.calsouth.com/en/coaches-association/.

All coaches who join the Cal South Coaches Association will gain immediate access to SportSessionPlanner.com to make use of the website's extensive library of practice sessions or to create new ones of their own. Sessions on the site are presented via three-dimensional views of fields and layouts, along with complete text outlines of each designed play or drill.